Medicine against homophobia

While I was walking up and down, exploring the Gay Pride Festival yesterday in Tel Aviv (see my previous post for more details on that), someone handed me a box. I put it into my backpack and only checked it out after we got home.

The picture below shows the flyer that was inside the box. The big picture in the middle shows you what the box looks like. It's about the size of a medicine box. In English it says: "GAYvil: Liqui-Gels", as you can see. Below that, it says, in Hebrew "a new medicine against homophobia". On the green strip, the Hebrew says "contains 20 capsules full of pride". In the green circle on the left, it says (again in Hebrew) "Is homophobia making you nauseated? 2 capsules a day and this will pass." On the lower left, it says "For details, peruse the flyer inside the package."

On the other side of the box, the title and slogan in the same English-Hebrew combination is repeated but smaller. In addition, there are the following words (my translation):

Warnings:

* It is recommended to take it out of the closet (or the cabinet) carefully.

* Do not use the gel capsules as a lubricating material.

* Side effects: the medicine can cause good taste (especially in clothes).

* It's OK to combine this medicine with OptalGay.

That last one is referring to their other "medicine", OptalGay, a play on "Optalgin", a popular pain medicine here. You can see a picture of its box at the top of the flyer shown above.

On another side of the box, the Hebrew translates to "capsules with unique homo-empathetic qualities".

And what, you may ask, was in the box besides the flyer? A variety of brightly colored jelly-beans, of course! :-)

It wasn't until I looked at the BACK side of the flyer that I saw who was sponsoring this. It's Clalit, one of the major HMOs here in Israel (we're not members of this one, but of Maccabi). They have apparently recently opened a new especially gay-friendly clinic right there beside the park where the festival was taking place. Here's a picture of the back side of the flyer -- my translation is below:

Clalit is proud to present:

Meir Park Clinic

The most equal clinic in the City

New! a clinic friendly to the gay community, in cooperation

with the Center in Meir Park. Come to receive health care in a different atmosphere.

In the clinic, you will find an attentive, open, and understanding doctor.

Meir Park Clinic. Feeling good. Feeling at home.

The clinic is open Sunday through Thursday

until the late evening hours

and on Friday until noon.

Come to visit us in the Gay Center.

For appointment scheduling, dial: 057-9900328

E-mail address for all questions: ganmeir@clalit.org.il

For additional details:

clalit.co.il/20plus

Clalit

Best for the community